Program | Community Assessments
CEDIK, in partnership with Kentucky Association for Economic Development, offers a program to assist economic development professionals and elected officials by assessing the potential for new economic opportunities.
What you receive in your report:
An executive summary and final report highlighting the findings from assessments (outlined below), as well as a series of recommendations for elected officials, economic development professionals and other key leaders in the community. CEDIK will also provide one presentation to key stakeholders highlighting the findings from the report and facilitate a conversation on “next steps,” if desired.
What we assess about your community
Community Readiness
Each community's goals and plans are different. CEDIK team will conduct a 1-day visit in your community to better understand the community's economic development goals and assets. CEDIK team will interview 2-3 key individuals to gauge the type of industry that leaders are trying to attract or more localized economic development strategies (business retention, business expansion, entrepreneurship). The team will also assess existing resources dedicated to these strategies. Specifically, CEDIK will assess or identify:
- A community's future economic development goals
- A city that the community is striving to be like (model community)
- Existing economic development strategies
- Assets dedicated to economic development (trained personnel, marketing resources, other organizations, etc)
- Attitudes toward economic development
Data Collection and Analysis
Every good plan starts with understanding the environment. Access to reliable and time-sensitive data are critical for economic development success. These data should guide all policies and decisions. CEDIK will provide a comprehensive set of indicators that can be used to attract investment and economic activity (or opportunities for improvement).
- Current community on-line presence & community “reputation” (social media, etc)
- Economic indicators and trends (industry, workforce, commuting patterns)
- Community quality of life indicators: housing, education, environment, recreation/ shopping, healthcare, utilities (availability/stability/condition of system/long term sustainability)
- CEDIK will provide these data as they compare to the model community (see Community Readiness)
Business Leader First Impressions Program
Envisioning the community from an outsiders perspective is a vital part to creating strong plans. CEDIK will coordinate a "secret shopper" to visit the community to assess both economic opportunities and quality of life conditions. Specifically, the visitors will assess:
- Availability and access to roads and other modes of transportation
- Availability and quality of cell phone service
- Availability and quality of communication (phone systems/internet/wireless/TV)
- Availability and access to aspects that contribute to employee quality of life:
• Quality and availability of types of housing
• Access to health care services
• Access to quality education
• Access to and condition of recreation facilities
• Availability of recreation programs
• Evidence of opportunities for civic life (civic groups/activities/programs)
Commitment
Counties with up to 10,000 population – $5,000
Counties with 10,000 to 20,000 population – $6,000
Counties with 20,000 to 50,000 population – $7,500
Counties with greater than 50,000 population – $10,000
